T-ara alum Hyomin practiced charity by donating her entire appearance fee to a fan.
On April 17, KBS 2TV Stars' Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant (hereinafter Fun-Staurant) featured Hyomin, a "planning fairy" who plans everything from one to ten when cooking, preparing an orange-themed course tailored for marketing expert and culinary benefactor Noh Hee-young. Hyomin then brought a kumquat cake praised even by the harsh critic Noh Hee-young and visited a sick fan, carrying out a meaningful act that has drawn wide attention.
That day Hyomin checked a cooking plan she had written herself with more nerves than usual because she had invited Noh Hee-young, who discovered chef Choi Kang-rok after serving as a harsh judge on the MasterChef Korea series and who later won Culinary Class Wars 2. Hyomin prepared a course in which the appetizer, main dish and dessert were all bright orange to suit Noh Hee-young's sensitivity to color.
But Noh Hee-young arrived earlier than expected, throwing Hyomin into a panic. Noh Hee-young watched Hyomin's cooking process with a hawk-like eye. A nervous Hyomin confessed to the production staff, "I feel sorry for the MasterChef Korea contestants," eliciting laughter. Hyomin completed the orange-themed course despite Noh Hee-young's piercing gaze. She also attracted attention by creating a dish using the competition theme, "our beans."
Noh Hee-young savored Hyomin's completed orange-themed course. She also offered appropriate advice to Hyomin before the first menu evaluation and praised Hyomin for what she observed up close. Noh noted that Hyomin, who earned a Japanese cuisine cooking technician certificate in 2018, launched an alcoholic beverage under her own name in 2023 and entered the contact lens business in 2025, is admirably and decisively forging her future.
Noh Hee-young also commented on Hyomin's husband, saying his education, looks and character are perfect. Kim Jaejoong, a close friend of Hyomin, recalled meeting Hyomin and her husband and added, "(Hyomin's husband) is amazing in person. His character and temperament are perfect." During this, it was revealed that the photos on Hyomin's social media were created by Hyomin's "golden-handed" husband.
After the Fun-Staurant broadcast, Hyomin shared the meaningful charity news on her social media. She said she visited a sick fan who said they liked T-ara's songs the most and personally brought the kumquat cake praised by Noh Hee-young. Hyomin said, "After making eye contact and talking directly, I wanted to share this feeling a little more, so I delivered the full Fun-Staurant appearance fee from this episode to the hospital together. This time left a deep meaning for me too, and I think it will make me do my work with an even firmer heart."
Meanwhile, Hyomin married a non-celebrity 10 years her senior who works in the financial industry in April last year. Her husband is known to be an executive vice president at a global private equity firm who graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in industrial engineering. After their marriage the couple set up a new household in a luxury apartment in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and that newlyweds' home is reported to currently have a market value exceeding 10 billion won.
[Photo] KBS 2TV Stars' Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant, Hyomin SNS
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